Johnny Wactor Death: Two Charged With Murder of 'General Hospital' Actor

GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 13: Johnny Wactor attends the "Silent River" Opening Night Theatrical Premiere at Laemmle Glendale on October 13, 2022 in Glendale, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Curious Potato)
Getty Images for Curious Potato

Two individuals have been charged with murder in connection with the death of “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor . Two more suspects have been arrested in relation to the killing.

The charges were announced by Los Angeles County prosecutors during a press conference on Monday at the Los Angeles Hall of Justice. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón and interim police chief Dominic Choi were present at the event, according to local news outlets like Fox LA and CBS News .

The suspects charged with murder are Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, both 18 years old. Barceleau’s charge includes a special circumstance allegation of killing in the commission of a robbery; he faces a potential life sentence without parole. Both Barceleau and Estrada also face charges of attempted robbery and grand theft while armed with a firearm.

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Two other suspects remain in custody and face lesser charges. Leonel Gutierrez, 18, has been charged with attempted robbery and grand theft by embezzlement, both with the allegation that he was armed. Frank Olano, 22, is charged with being an accessory to the murder after the fact, along with charges of receiving stolen property and three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Wactor was fatally shot on May 25 in downtown Los Angeles after stumbling upon a suspected catalytic converter theft attempt. Last week, the Los Angeles Times reported that at least three suspects were served search warrants and taken into custody in relation to the shooting. Suspects were reportedly identified after authorities examined fingerprints left on the car jack used to steal Wactor's catalytic converter.

Barceleau, Estrada, and Gutierrez remain detained, each with a $2 million bail, as does Olano, who must post $1 million bail.

Following Wactor's passing, his godmother, Michaelle Kinard, established a GoFundMe page which surpassed $50,000 in just 24 hours. The donation fund now stands at over $144,000.

“On May 25, my dearest and best friend’s son was murdered. He was the victim of a senseless crime,” Kinard wrote on the GoFundMe page . “Johnny Wactor, (known to many as Brando Corbin on ‘General Hospital’), was pursuing his dream in L.A. Early Saturday morning, Johnny was leaving work with a coworker when they encountered three individuals attempting to steal his catalytic converter. He thought he was going to be towed and asked ‘Am I being towed?’ The person stood up wearing a mask, said nothing, and shot him.”

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